The Beginning of the Battle
by DemoniaZorra
Summary: Sensei Keiken believed that he would be the one to transform the world of technology and change everything for the better. However, a single mistake will ignite a battle between humanity and robots, resulting in the most dangerous war of modern history. Will Keiken be able to make amends by putting together an elite team to fight back? An Exo-Force fanfiction.
1. Chapter 1

There are two fundamental questions that cross the mind of every human being at one point in their lives.

The first one might not be surprising, as it constantly surrounds us in different forms. It could be in a casual conversation with a friend, or an official news report producing facts and figures. It's often referred to as a thought that plagues the mind late at night, as a sleep deprived brain can easily conjure up an image that you don't want to accept.

But whether it comes from scientist or civilian, one thing is the same. Each answer adds to the ever-growing collection of possibilities, and humanity dreams of the day when we can pick the right response out of the thousands, answering back with confidence when someone asks "what will the future be like?"

A common theme begins to emerge as a response: Technology. Phones need to be sleeker in design, computers need to have more functions, and the internet needs to have the knowledge of every library on Earth. Perhaps most of all, people wonder if we could create a conscious artificial intelligence to work alongside humanity in order to share the burden of such advancements.

However, creating this kind of intelligence is harder than it sounds. As the years pass by, although progression is painfully slow but certain, humanity still isn't completely sure how such a thing could ever exist after multiple failed attempts.

A team of Americans had managed to make an AI that could give opinions, but they were based entirely upon online sources, balanced out to form a logical answer rather than its own independent thoughts and morals. A German had engineered a mechanical skeleton the size of an average human that had almost perfect articulation, but he couldn't create the AI to control it without his help or alter its appearance to make it seem less intimidating. It wasn't until a Japanese man named Keiken stepped forward that we began to see a shred of hope for this ultimate goal.

Sensei Keiken was hardly the type of person expected to make such a breakthrough; most notably because of his age. Rather than a young computer genius, he was an elderly man with long greying hair, and skin that had been wrinkled and darkened by years of working in the brilliant sunshine of his country. Anyone who saw his picture assumed he was frail and would be weakening in his old age, but then they took a closer look at his straight, military-esque posture and the lively sparkle in his pale eyes, realising that they couldn't be more wrong. He had spent the majority of his life as a teacher of martial arts, although most people expected his specialty to be in academics. While he was known in his village as an inventor of small mechanical creations and being extremely intelligent, this was his first design on such a large scale so many people were shocked at his instant success.

His home received the same reaction of disbelief, as he lived in the southwest Kyushu region of Japan instead of the technological hotspot of Tokyo. When people questioned this, he only ever gave a cryptic reply, explaining that visiting the peak of the mountain that he lived on had given him the inspiration, that he had simply built upon past ideas and location had nothing to do with it.

Sentai Mountain, his home, was a small community that thrived on a long extinct volcano after it had been overgrown with prosperous green farmland, and had mining villages dotted across its surface. There was only one major city around halfway down the mountain which contained the majority of the inhabitants as well as the only commercial and public buildings. There was one road linking it to the rest of civilization, and it lay at the base of the mountain amongst the dense plant life that could almost be called a jungle. It twisted and turned for miles on a dirt path before becoming a regular tarmac road, ending on the edge of a bustling city where you could see the mountain's peak in the distance.

But despite Sensei Keiken and his residence being such an odd centre for this revolution, the Japanese government couldn't contain its excitement after the final blueprints for the robots were circulated. They were going to be the first to invent artificial intelligence and help mankind.

The design had been simple enough; the legion of humanoid robots was to be built of reinforced bronze or steel, alloys from the local mines, and had a small computer containing the final artificial intelligence system inside, along with an internal power source. They would all be linked to a main computer centre held at Sentai Mountain that would transmit general orders, but it was the robots themselves that would determine what mining work was too dangerous, or when crops should be harvested. Of course, if the robots had this mental ability, they could also choose to deny the orders. Keiken hoped that if the robots were treated as equals to the humans, they would be less reluctant to help, but even so an override device was placed in each robot to make it entirely dependent on the main computer at the flick of a switch, or a defiant robot could simply be shut down when it was called back for its regular maintenance. However, these really were last resorts.

Once the design was approved, a single robot was built and tested with an astounding success, and soon hundreds more were in the works for a trial run to be held on the mountain before they were spread nationwide. To commemorate such a breakthrough in technology, Sensei Keiken commissioned an addition to the first robot. It would act as a leader to the others, a voice to the humans to ensure their alliance continued with both sides satisfied, instead of simply working in the mines or farmlands. As this robot was to be so special, a layer of gold was added to its armour to keep it strong and shining; a beacon to the rest of the world that Japan's idea had worked.

Days later, the completed robots were distributed through the mountain and worked so smoothly and without complaint that the residents could hardly contain their enthusiasm and pride that their small corner of the Earth had been able to produce such perfect examples of a conscious AI. Days turned into weeks and months, and everything was still running so perfectly that other robots were put into production to spread across the surrounding areas of Kyushu. However, before the new robots had even left the factories, something showed Sentai Mountain that there was a consequence to playing God.

This is where the second question comes in. A question no one thinks to ask until it's already too late. "What's the worst that can happen?"

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><p><strong>[AN - I'm uncertain of how well this is going to go, but here is the first chapter of my Exo-Force prequel series. **

**This is my first multi-chapter fic, I've never created a story with such a lack of canon to help, I only have a vague plan, and I have no idea if I should do it in updates or write the whole thing for like 2 years first… So yay. (Behold my lack of technical and mechanical knowledge.)**

**Feel free to leave any criticisms, I'm here to improve.]**


	2. Chapter 2

Before the disaster there had been peace. Eight months of blissful peace.

Despite the outside world still marvelling at the creations of Sensei Keiken, the mountain had quickly been lulled into a routine as the humans and robots lived side by side. The robots didn't protest to the work, as they were grateful for their creation and being treated almost as equals. They became a key part of society, doing jobs faster than a human and with even more precision, and soon enough Sensei began inventing again to keep up with this unexpected boost in the economy and quality of life on the mountain. He created even more machines, mainly for the use of the robots in the mines where it was simply too dangerous for humans to go. They were essentially mechanical suits that the robots could stand inside and pilot, using better and larger tools to drill into the caves within the mountain while still being protected by a thick layer of metal.

As time went on with these new mining vehicles, the residents of Sentai Mountain began to see a change in the behaviour of the robots which they hadn't thought possible. They were starting to become smarter and more organised as they interacted with humans. It even included the construction of a social hierarchy that was led by the first robot; Sensei Keiken's prized creation.

Meca One, the only robot to be given a unique name, was held on par by the robots with their creator in terms of importance, and they worked twice as hard when he was overseeing them. Close behind Meca One were the steel robots, a less common model as the alloy they were made from was used for various other things in the main city, Sentai Village. They seemed to have taken it upon themselves to act as managers to the bronze robots, making sure the work was always done to the required standard as well as demonstrating their own abilities. This had all arisen from the fact that humans watched over the robots for the first few weeks of their use, but despite both real and artificial eyes scrutinizing the bronze robots at all times, they continued to work hard and were simply happy to be contributing to the prosperity of the mountain that had become their home.

Although, no one could tell for sure it was happiness that the robots felt. As conscious artificial intelligence, they had the capacity to feel very basic emotions, but most chose to supress this as they stated it got in the way of their working. Of course they still made polite conversation with the humans of Sentai Mountain which helped to show their complicity, but they preferred to spend their days working in silence, and only choosing to interact with the original residents if they required maintenance or to confirm orders. But even then they turned to Meca One for help, and it was him that relayed this information to the humans.

Many people understood that this lack of socialisation was due to the nature of the robots, and not hostility towards Sentai Mountain, but that didn't stop a small percentage to grow worried about the extended use of this technology. They mainly chose to ignore such feelings, as they realised how crucial the work of the robots had become, but some voiced their fears to one another in the hope that Sensei Keiken would restrict the robots; and these thoughts were especially strong amongst the miners.

The robots lined up outside the tunnels at 5:59 every morning, waiting precisely until the hour before they marched into the mines like an army, their legs moving forward simultaneously with their pickaxes clutched tightly in their clawed hands. Those using mining vehicles followed soon afterwards, with a loud crunch of gravel underfoot as they made their way into the mountain side, their large drills looking rather ominous as they caught the pale morning light.

Those who opposed the robots tried not to become alarmed; after all, it would look just as threatening if a human walked into the mines wielding such a weapon. Why would the robots be more likely to attack? Just because their glowing green eyes stared back with no emotion, or the thin line of their mouth was unable to turn into a smile, didn't make them more threatening. That would just be foolish to assume.

After all, the robots always got what they wanted; normally related to upgrading parts to make them work a little more smoothly. They had even stated on many occasions that they appreciated having a purpose in their lives, and would continue to live with the humans. It's not as if they could lie about such things. Sensei had made sure that it wasn't included in their programming, and they had been tested on many an occasion to make sure it wasn't something that developed as time went on. But for some people, that just wasn't enough to calm their nerves.

One morning in particular, a teenager seemed reluctant to follow them into the mines after having a discussion with his co-workers the day before about such a thing, but they had spent the entire time laughing at him for believing the gossip of other workers, and being too young to understand how the robots were the best thing that had ever happened to Sentai Mountain.

He attempted to rekindle the conversation with an older man standing next to him as they watched the robots line up outside, having to shout to be heard over the howling wind and rain that had been persistent across the mountain all week.

"Don't you think they're creepy? Not even a little bit?"

This earned a roaring laugh from his colleague, who slapped the boy good naturedly on the shoulder with such force that it almost sent the teen off balance on the slippery ground.

"Are you telling me you're scared of those things Takeshi? They're nothing more than the metal we mined up here a few months ago. Sensei worked his magic and now we've got ourselves some workers that won't complain!" he began laughing again, not noticing the boy's discomfort.

"Do you not believe what the others have been saying then?" he replied, tearing his glance away from the robots.

"Nah! What's the worst that can happen?" the man grinned down at the boy in an attempt to comfort him, seeming satisfied when he got a small smile in return. "Some people just want to stir up trouble. Didn't you say your friend works on a robot ranch? He's the one making sure these things are as safe as can be."

Takeshi only shrugged in response, stepping towards the gaping hole of the mine as the human workers filed in behind the robots, and simply happy to be out of the rain. "It's just weird to see something that can actually think and speak in Japanese that isn't a human, y'know?"

Their conversation came to an end as work began, but the teenager couldn't help thinking about the robots for the rest of the day. When they were first put into use, he was one of the supporters rejoicing at Keiken's success, but the more time he spent in their cold company, the more restless his mind became.

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><p><strong>[AN – This is the first time I've ever written a chapter 2, wow. And in my first chapter 3, there should be more main characters than this…**

**I'm not sure if these will be weekly updates, I've got a lot of coursework for my A Levels soon, and revision for over Christmas. **

**Feel free to leave any criticisms, I'm here to improve.] **


	3. Chapter 3

The storm had continued to rage on that day, the ash coloured clouds casting a dull tone over the mountain and the torrential rain creating small rivers that threatened to flood the roads. Every few seconds, sharp forks of lightning were darting across the sky to tear apart the darkness, accompanied shortly afterwards by a roar of thunder.

It would be impossible for anyone to work outside in such conditions, especially on the farmlands where the soil would quickly become waterlogged. But something had to be done to make sure the crops for that season weren't ruined, and farmers turned to the obvious solution; the new workers that were employed to do jobs no one else could.

Many precautions had been taken for these robots to withstand the elements; the metal was reinforced to avoid being damaged in the mines, the joints were as covered as possible to avoid short circuiting in the rain, and the melting temperatures of the core alloys were high enough that no one had to worry about the event of a fire. The alloys also offered fairly low conductivity, so no one predicted that lightning would have the chance to strike the metallic beings on top of the mountain.

It had first hit the main computer centre that transmitted instructions to the robots, blowing all of the fuses and cutting off all electrical supply from that building. However, no one was worried because the robots were smart enough to continue the work they had been set, and could survive without receiving updates until it had been fixed. What they didn't realise is that without any new definite orders, the robots had plenty of time for their developing minds to wander once they had finished their work.

Soon, individual robots started being struck down despite such a high improbability. Their glowing eyes slowly faded into a glassy stare, and clouds of dark smoke curled up from the sparking wires. It was then that the panic set in, and a group of humans braved the storm to retrieve the fallen robots and order the others back inside. But some of them chose not to listen. Instead, they said that they would find other places to shelter until the storm had passed, and almost seemed glad when the humans simply shrugged and moved on.

It took days for the storm to finally clear, and even longer to find robots that had been unaccounted for, scattered across the mountain in their hiding places. These groups of robots in particular were more reluctant to get back to work, but their behaviour changed subtly enough to go unnoticed by human eyes.

As the mountain slowly fell back into routine, Meca One was still nowhere to be seen. Sensei Keiken worried about the golden robot, being unable to use the tracking device inside him, and wondered if they had been functional in the other robots that were stuck in the storm. He had spent the majority of his time in workshops, and decided to visit the robot ranch that took note of any malfunctions to get an answer.

Sensei was led down a corridor by the man who ran the ranch, while being assured that he would see one of the best workers they had. The two men stopped in front of a door, which the boss opened and motioned for Keiken to enter through. There was someone sat with his back to the doorway, quickly typing on a keyboard that was linked to one of the many computer monitors on the desk in front of him.

The boss bowed to Keiken, apologising that he had urgent matters to attend and that he should have no problem getting any information he needed. Keiken thanked him for bringing him this far, noticing that the sound of his voice had caught the attention of the person sitting at the computer and the typing on the keyboard had stopped.

"Sensei Keiken, what can I help you with?" The young man at the desk stood up before bowing deeply in respect. The old man was surprised to see that it was a teenager no older than his granddaughter that was called the best at the ranch. Keiken was even more impressed with the calm and professional tone that the boy spoke with, as most people nowadays reacted to him almost like a celebrity, much to his embarrassment.

"May I ask who I'm speaking to before we begin?"

The boy bowed again. "I apologise for not saying that first. My name is Matsuoka Hikaru."

Sensei nodded, almost in approval, and continued. "Well then, Hikaru, I'm here to ask about the possibility of faulty tracking devices of the robots. But I'm also interested in the daily tasks that you do. Perhaps you could explain those to me first."

"Of course. I mainly test the mining vehicles to make sure that they perform well enough for the robots to use. That includes how smoothly it responds to the pilot, how much force the armour can take, and how well the tool attachments work on different ores. The data is put on this computer", Here, Hikaru pointed behind him just in time for a beep to inform the pair that the latest analysis was complete, "and we use brand new vehicles as a control to see how well the machines are faring with the constant usage."

"And what if something _is_ wrong?" Keiken asked, becoming noticeably more interested as Hikaru described his job. He knew that there were men and women testing his creations, but he had regretfully neglected learning about these processes in favour of creating.

"We bring in some robots to test it again, as human error always has to be considered. If it truly is broken, we send it to the techs in the factories. They fix the problem and attach a report about how they did it, and the probability of the same thing affecting other vehicles." Hikaru turned towards the computer to print off the most recent results, but continued speaking as something had crossed his mind as a second thought.

"There are similar tests and analysis for robots either when they break, or as a regular check from a small sample of them. That's what these results are, but didn't you want something more specific?"

"It doesn't sound like the tracking devices are tested, so I doubt I'll get what I came here for. Although I would like to look over your most recent findings, out of personal curiosity."

"I'll start an investigation as soon as these results have been looked over, Sensei. As you can see here, this …" Hikaru trailed off, frowning at the charts in front of him. "Shouldn't be like that."

Sensei felt his breath catch in this throat, instantly jumping to the conclusion that he had been hiding in the back of his mind since the idea of developing AI became so important all those years ago. But he was getting ahead of himself; everything had been going so smoothly for so long, there was no need to overreact.

"What's wrong with them?" He asked in a neutral tone.

"The productivity of the mining robots has plummeted greatly. It was dropping by fractions of a second, although that was days after the storm so we could understand that. But this is just…" Hikaru shook his head unable to explain his confusion at such a drastic change in the capacity of the robots. He handed the pieces of paper to Sensei Keiken's outstretched hand.

"It must be a long lasting problem from the rain, or a malfunction for being on the mountain for so long before returning here under cover." Sensei sighed in relief as the problem seemed quite clear, and nothing like the scenarios he had been imagining.

"I'm sorry Sensei, but I don't think that can explain it."

"And why is that?"

"These particular robots had nothing to do with the storm."

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><p><strong>[AN – Ahh, I dunno how Japanese to make this in terms of honorifics and first/last name calling. And speaking of names, 'Matsuoka' (and the surnames of the other 4 main characters) is taken from the fanfic The Silver City by Pixeljam. (which I highly recommend reading!)**

**It's been a while since chapter 2, but I'm not going to give up on this until I'm done. I tend to never finish projects, but I'm determined this time, even if it doesn't end up how I planned ;-;]**


	4. Chapter 4

"What do you mean? Why would the unaffected robots change so dramatically?" Sensei asked Hikaru, despite knowing that he wouldn't get an answer from the eighteen year old boy. However, there was a possible answer clawing its way from the back of his mind. Through the struggle of creating AI, many people had claimed that it was too dangerous to pursue, as the intelligence may surpass that of a human. While that didn't seem like a threat to the majority of the world, those who worked closely with technology realised that if the robots ever thought they were the superior being, they would ignore all orders from humans and could only have one outcome. Destruction, death, and rebellion.

"I'm not sure Sensei." Hikaru's voice brought Keiken out of his thoughts, sounding equally as confused at the prospect of having faulty robots for no apparent reason. "Should I send all of these robots to the factory workshops for the techs? There are quite a lot of them."

"Yes, please. Actually, this is an urgent matter; I'll transport them personally right away. Thank you Hikaru, if I need any further assistance I will ask for you." Sensei bowed and hurriedly left the room before the teen could even return the gesture of respect.

It only took Sensei an hour to travel from the robot ranch by Sentai Village to the small factories in the industrial villages. But the time seemed to stretch on forever for Keiken, as he worried that the robots would malfunction even further in any given second. He practically ran into the factory, asking for the best tech to meet him by the truck of offline robots before rushing back outside to check on them.

One of the techs who received Keiken's message called through the workshop, trying to find his colleague among the mass of workbenches and mining vehicle parts that littered the floor.

"Ryo! Ryo, you're needed here!"

He looked behind a half constructed vehicle to see Ryo laid out on the floor with his eyes shut. "Whoa, are you actually taking a break?"

Ryo sighed without opening his eyes "Unfortunately, while my mind is fully prepared for mechanical work at all hours of the day, my body necessitates a set amount of rest that I have been lacking this past week. It is quite annoying." He sat up, re-tying the red headband that he used to keep his hair out of his eyes as he worked.

"What am I required to do?"

"Dunno, but this has been flagged up by Sensei himself, so I should think his apprentice is the one for the job." The tech grinned at the Ryo, receiving only a blank stare in return.

"The apprentice of Sensei Keiken would be an idealistic title; I am sure many others like me applied to work here and were granted access."

The tech gave a snort of laughter as Ryo stood up and brushed off his orange jumpsuit. "Of course there was. But none of the others are mechanic obsessed seventeen year olds."

Ryo rushed to the outside of the building, trying to rub away some of the oil from the mining vehicles off of his jumpsuit in an attempt to seem more presentable. He had been recruited by Sensei Keiken ten months previously to help assemble the robots, and he was kept on at the factory after his work had been praised. However, the teen hadn't actually spent any time alone with the man.

"Sensei Keiken." Ryo alerted the old man to his arrival, giving a formal bow when he turned around. "My name is Ryo and I will be assisting you today."

Keiken's mouth twitched into a small smile. This was the second time today the 'best worker' of a department had been practically a child. This thought triggered something in his mind, and he felt compelled to ask a question before explaining his current situation.

"Ryo… would that, by any chance, be Hayashi Ryo?"

The boy gave a nod of confirmation, a rare look of confusion passing over his face. "How do you know who I am?"

"My granddaughter Hitomi speaks of a genius among the workers I recruited by the name of Ryo. And for someone with her level of pride and mechanical skill it truly is a compliment. I've seen your work although I was never able to put a name to a face. I have to admit that I'm impressed."

Ryo's mouth fell open, for once in his life unable to make a response. Sensei Keiken, _the _Sensei Keiken who had singlehandedly changed technology as humanity knew it, was aware of his skill. His parents would be thrilled with the news when he eventually returned to his town just a few miles from Sentai Mountain. Of course it would be great if he had some friends to tell as well, he thought, but then realised that he wouldn't have had enough time to study technology if he ever bothered with anything more than polite socialisation.

While this had all been passing through Ryo's mind, he was unaware that he hadn't moved or said anything for a good few seconds, and Keiken raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, of course, yes. I… I remember a girl of that name inquiring about my methods fairly frequently but she never disclosed her family ties. I apologise, I did not know she was related to you." Ryo felt his cheeks turning red as he regained his composure. While Keiken was something of an idol to the boy in terms of his inventions, Ryo realised it could seem off-putting to act any differently towards him than any other person.

"That's not a problem, I'm simply glad that you were available today. I need someone of your skill to help me." He briefly explained what he had learned with Hikaru, and the robots were taken to a more remote factory building on the site where there were less techs to interrupt their work.

Once the robots were opened up, it was clear to see what was wrong.

"All of the tracking devices have been turned off." Sensei said to the empty room, knowing that Ryo had obviously encountered the same problem.

"That should be impossible. To reach the circuits required to disable this feature, the robots have to be opened up which should only be done by the techs or those who work at the ranch. And it is highly illogical for them to have reason to do this. Furthermore, I may have found a more puzzling addition to your problem." Ryo frowned, asking Keiken to come over to the robot he was currently examining.

"Not only has the tracking device been interfered with, but the surrounding wires have been cut. The cut is small and clean, so a sharp blade must be the only object responsible. But who would have agreed to sever such a crucial mechanism within the robot, within so many robots?"

The two turned the unharmed tracking devices back on, while trying to salvage those that had been cut. They worked in silence, both trying to figure out what could have occurred for this to happen.

"Ryo, if you're not too busy for the rest of the day, I'd like to keep you here to check up on a few more robots with me."

The teen stopped to think for a few seconds. "I was days ahead of schedule with my mining vehicles, I even had time to create a few blueprints for possible additions. It would be nice for the others to be able to catch up to my work today."

"I'd be happy to look over your plans once this is over. But please excuse me for a moment while I make a call." Keiken strode out of the room quickly, trying not to smile at the look of pure shock on Ryo's face at his offer. It was amazing to see such a dedicated individual.

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><p><strong>[AN – With mock exams and an upcoming university interview, I haven't been writing in my limited spare time… But I don't want this to go without an update for another solid month, so have the majority of a chapter I wrote. The rest will come when my mocks are over, hopefully.**

**Note to self, work on transitioning between locations and stuff. Wow chapter 3 and 4 are so jumpy.]**


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